Ah Jim. Only the lucky ones are able to take a richly deserved retirement. Many poor sods don't make it that far, but you have, so enjoy it. You've earned, it, it's all yours.
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What Colin said. Never thought I'd make it out of my teens. Prolly would'nt've w/o my wife of 52yrs. PaulEComment
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Since I retired, I've come to realise how much work limited my life, and cramped my outlook on things. Stress, hard work, long hours and corresponding bad lifestyle led me to poor health ( diabetes etc ), but now I am a man of leisure, I can really relax. OK, I can't do the things I used to do ( at least I did them whilst I was younger! ), I can dictate my own pace of living.
Working hard with good rewards is rewarding, but if you don't have the time to enjoy yourself, it's pretty pointless. That was brought home to me, when my immediate boss ( we shared an office ), suddenly died ( in his sleep ) - he was a workaholic, five years younger than myself - a young family, as well. That really hit me, and I determined that I would stop work for good at the first opportunity.
Now work is a distant memory, and my first career, Engineer Officer in the Merchant Navy, sometimes seems to have happened to someone else!
DaveComment
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I retired early from teaching in a variety of rough schools in Yorkshire. Moved to an island in the Outer Hebrides. Lived the dream there for 11 years. Grew vegetables, kept hens and walked in the hills and on the deserted beaches. Saw dolphins, whales, golden eagles, white tailed sea eagles, otters and red deer.
3 years ago decided the journey down to see my daughter was getting too much so moved close to her in Shropshire. Then my granddaughter came along and she is brilliant.
Every day I count my blessings. The wife and I are both in good health and are financially secure. We have made many new friends. I am never bored. I wake each day excited about what the day has in store. I look back on my life with good memories and few regrets.
I know I am very lucky and I approach my three score years and ten counting my blessings with a million things to look forward to.
I have never been happier.
JimComment
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Seems one never really knows how many friends one has until he falls into their common bin.
As one who has just recently fallen over the apex of the mountain of life and am tumbling headlong into oblivion....BAH!!!
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I saw a Peanuts (Charlie Brown) cartoon today. He was sitting on a pier looking out over the lake and says to Snoopy; "You only live once..."
Snoopy looked up at him. "No, you only die once. You live every day".
Never a more true bit of wisdom has come from that dogs mouth!Comment
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Just looked through this again and I must say I am beginning to settle in a bit.
Am realizing the boys got things under control and they do ask me for advice, though I think they are just trying to humor me a bit,
but you know what? it's ok, they love me and they know I want to be kept up to date with the business.
Nice to know there are so many sympathetic souls out there and many who share my old age woes.
The fact that none of this is reversible and there is no re-set button to say, around....35ish? is the most
hardest to fathom, but I'll adjust to that too I guess.
Funny how well adjusted to this aging business my Missus is, I know she misses her formally extensive vegetable gardening which
was a lot of hard back breaking work on her part, but she loved it so.
I had to laugh though when she tried to school some of the older Grand daughters in the fine arts of growing the veggies
only to have them show up next day with a truck bed full of various garden delectables from our numerous farming
neighbors and saying "see Grandma, this is much easier!":smiling2:
I'll be ok I guess, got a vignette coming down the pike called "Little Rocket Man" but NO politics! I promise :smiling4:
Cheerio! Jim
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Hi Jim.
Good to hear you have embraced and accepted retiring. Showing an interest in what your boys are doing , and at the same time not giving unwanted advice is hard. They will no doubt ask you when they need .
I have recently been banned from climbing ladders, by the son in law who is a roofer. When I wanted to clean out the gutters of the house all hell broke out :smiling3: " You can't do that, you'll fall off " was the shout, it wasn't falling off that was the problem, it was lifting the damned ladders in the first place. !
It's been an interesting read through this thread again.Comment
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Look on it as not the end of a story, but the beginning of a new chapter!
DaveComment
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Falling off isn't a problem John, it's landing that's the problem!
PeteComment
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When i working I had time to build models all the time, go fishing (quite a bit), look after the (admittedly much smaller garden, and renovate the house. All in the weekends and evenings!
Having been "retired" for a good few years, the fishing rods are collecting dust, I can build a model or three over the 'colder' seasons, remodelling the house as and when needed and looking after the garden.
But am I happy about it? Oh yes. It's a question of doing what I can when I can. If I can't I don't.
The only 'pressure ' I am under is keeping the house (sort of) tidy and clean and feeding the good lady when she comes home from work.
The garden takes a lot of time at the moment due to a complete change over... Once that is done it will just be keeping it tidy so hopefully more time for other things....
You to Jim will find that your days are more full than they ever have been. What you are doing though.... Way different from 'back then'.Comment
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Found at the age of 80 is to just enjoy what you have & what you have got Jim.
Get up a bit later or even at times earlier. I stay up until about 2:00am listening
to music & watching music videos. Think we all have a time which is best in the
24 hours.
Model making I now tend to do in bits. The mind does not like intense things.
I watch the news & doze for 30 minutes & wake wondering where I am.
So do not despair that will only hurt. Just enjoy.
58 years to day I was married yes to my wife. I love her 100 more times at my 80
years than when I met her. So there is the greatest plus you could have.
So Jim accept & just do what you can & enjoy. With all those grand children that
is a joy. I have 4 grandsons & love watching their progress in life. My 2 girls
& two boys regularly make sure my wife & I are OK that is nice.
If you are into music. Try Brendan Kavanah. He plays anything used to be Jules
Holland pianist. Now teaches Boogy Woogy.
Try this as a starter. Great playing & fun. Brendan is the one on the end.
LaurieComment
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